Brief

The City Attorney sought and obtained Council authorization to settle a lawsuit filed by Arthur Stevens against Los Angeles and other defendants (Superior Court Case 24VECV03054). Councilmembers Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield moved the settlement motion, which Council unanimously approved 15-0 on June 10, 2025. The Mayor signed off by June 23, 2025, and the action became final. The City Attorney has since submitted follow-up documentation in May 2026 to Budget and Finance Committee.

Full summary

This file documents the City's handling of a civil lawsuit brought by Arthur Stevens against the City of Los Angeles and other defendants, stemming from a traffic accident on March 14, 2024, at or near the intersection of North Fallbrook Avenue and Sherman Way in Los Angeles. The City Attorney, under City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, initiated the file in March 2025 requesting closed-session authority to discuss settlement strategy and Claims Board recommendations. The involvement of LAPD personnel — including officers from the Risk Management and Legal Affairs Division — listed in the City Attorney's correspondence suggests the City's exposure is tied to police or City vehicle activity at the time of the accident, though the public record does not confirm this explicitly. The Budget and Finance Committee took up the matter in closed session on June 3, 2025, recommending a specific course of action unanimously (Yaroslavsky, Blumenfield, Hutt, McOsker, and Hernandez all voting yes). The motion brought to full Council on June 10, 2025, by Councilmembers Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield directed the City to reject the proposed settlement in the Stevens case. The Council adopted that motion 15-0, subject to mayoral approval. The City Clerk transmitted the file to the Mayor on June 12, 2025, and the action became final on June 20, 2025. Nearly a year later, in April 2026, the City Attorney submitted a new closed-session request to the Budget and Finance Committee, again citing the same case and claim number. This indicates that litigation is ongoing — the City's rejection of the earlier settlement proposal did not resolve the matter, and the parties are still engaged in settlement discussions or litigation strategy. The specific dollar amounts proposed in either settlement discussion, and the full factual basis of Stevens's claim, remain confidential under closed-session protections.

Activity (10)

• 2026-05-08 City Attorney document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2026-05-08 Document submitted by City Attorney, dated April 23, 2026.
• 2025-06-20 Council action final.
• 2025-06-12 City Clerk transmitted file to Mayor. Last day for Mayor to act is June 23, 2025.
• 2025-06-10 Council adopted Motion (Yaroslavsky - Blumenfield) adopted in Open Session, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2025-06-06 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on June 10, 2025.
• 2025-06-03 Budget and Finance Committee discussed the matter in Closed Session.
• 2025-05-30 Budget and Finance Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on June 3, 2025.
• 2025-03-24 City Attorney document(s) referred to Budget and Finance Committee.
• 2025-03-21 Document(s) submitted by City Attorney, as follows:City Attorney report, dated March 6, 2025, relative to a request for close session to discuss settlement in the case of Arthur Stevens v. City of Los Angeles, et al.

Documents (5)

• 2026-04-23 Report from City Attorney · report
• 2025-06-20 Mayor Concurrence/Council Action · other
• 2025-06-10 Motion (Yaroslavsky - Blumenfield) · motion
• 2025-06-10 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2025-03-06 Report from City Attorney · report